Just one normal day, please?

A friend messaged me Thursday evening after she finished some annual prep work on her garden – clearing debris, preparing the soil for planting.

She was sitting on her front porch watching rain clouds move in. She wanted to share with several of her friends how good it felt in that moment – outside getting fresh air, tending the garden that is her passion, and reconnecting with folks.

She said it felt so good to be doing normal things.

A few hours later, a storm moved in and sirens went off – a tornado warning had been issued. Of course! That’s how things are going these days, right?

Doesn’t it seem like we can’t get through a day without some curveball thrown our way? Fortunately, the storm rumbled through without major incident, and we all went back to living in the moment.

Don’t you long for just one day of normalcy?

Yesterday, temperatures in southwest Ohio reached near 70 degrees, our warmest day yet this year. I jogged in the afternoon and passed young people zooming down the street on skateboards – one had a freshly scraped nose, presumably from a fall.

Families were walking together, keeping a distance – I don’t know if it was to maintain a safe space or the result of being cooped up together for a week. People were jogging or walking their dogs.

Everyone smiled and waved, even the scratch-nosed teenager.

The Bradford pear trees were unveiling their white petals. Purple, yellow and white crocuses were sunning themselves. The daffodils’ trumpet-shaped flowers kept their own beat in the wind.

It all felt so refreshing, so familiar, so … normal.

As we struggle with our new circumstances and wonder what “normal” will be in the future, it’s comforting to be reminded that there’s familiarity all around us and within us.

Nature is doing its long-anticipated, seasonal thing. People are still showing kindness and love, if from a distance.

It’s a reminder that we, like God, are in the business of constantly weaving together the old and the new into something that will be filled with grace in its own ways.

And it will be very good. Challenging? For sure! But also good.

_ Joe

(photo courtesy of Pixabay)